1. Do you have time to plan 5 – 6 hours (or however long your ceremony/cocktail hour/reception are) of music? This is a project that can take weeks to complete. We found this out first-hand! Getting the right songs together in a way that flowed throughout our reception was maddening. But fun. But still hair-pullingly frustrating at time. There’s a real art to song selection.
2. Do you have enough songs to fill your time requirements? To give you an idea of what you’re looking at: if the average song on your play list is 3 minutes, you’ll need around 100 songs for a 5 hour reception.
3. Are you wanting more of a “listening” experience for your guests or are you wanting them to dance? Does your music selections support that?
4. Is your music collection diverse enough to appeal to most of your guests, young and old? This is the trickiest part of music selection process because your guests will have wildly different tastes in music. Still, to keep everyone comfortable and mostly happy, you’ll need broad appeal in your play lists.
5. Do you have the budget for the equipment, rentals, and songs? Will you need a new iPod or laptop? Will you need special software? How many songs will you need to buy to bridge gaps in your collection? Is the sound system rental affordable?
6. Who will stand in as emcee and guardian of the DJ setup? Is he/she reliable? Sober? Not afraid of public speaking or being an enforcer? By asking friends or family to fill this position, you’re pretty much giving them a job. They’re not going to be able to mingle, dance, or have fun as a guest.
7. Does your venue allow DIY setups? Will you be required to provide insurance for bringing in your own sound system?
8. Is your venue equipped for a DIY setup? Do they have an in-house PA system? Is your equipment compatible? If you need to bring in outside equipment is it appropriate for the venue size? Are there enough electrical outlets? Will you need external power supplies or plug adapters?
9. Are you aware of noise laws in your area? Many areas, especially residential, regulate how loud and for how long outdoor music can be played.
10. Who will pick up, set up, break down, and return your rentals? What if something happens to them or the equipment?
11. Will you be able to test the rental equipment before the wedding?
12. Do you or your designated person know how to work the equipment? Can she/he learn before the wedding?
13. How will you handle song requests?
14. Do you have a backup plan if the equipment doesn’t work or your designated DJ stand-in gets hit by a bus or your “OMG! This song is totally awesome to dance to!” puts people in their seats?

Reasons To Be In Favor Of The DIY DJ Experience

1. Creative control. You get to decide what’s played and when. Don’t want to ever hear Lady Gaga or KC and The Sunshine Band? No problem! That’s entirely within your control. We’ve heard horror story after horror story about DJs that totally ignore the almighty DO NOT PLAY list. Jason and I have witness that first hand a couple of times at the weddings  of our inner circle pals.
2. Cost control. Depending on what equipment you’ll need, the DIY DJ option is often cheaper than hiring a DJ. If you need to buy equipment or songs, they’re yours forever and you can consider it an investment.
3. Cheese control. A good wedding DJ is worth her weight in gold. Unfortunately, there are a lot of so-called professional DJs who are horribly bad. We’ve seen drunk/stoned ones on more than one occasion, some who’ve been so in love with themselves that they forget they’re hired pros and not the center of attention, some who’ve made ridiculously inappropriate comments, some who are stuck in a some sort of music time-warp and, I’m sure, you’ve all seen …

Hey DIY Bride:

My fi and I are going to do the iPod reception thing. We did a test run at our reception hall (our church’s hall) after a group meeting a few weekends ago and it sounded like crap. What did we do wrong?

-K&S

Hey K&S,

Having an iPod reception can work – and work well – but it needs some serious prep work and the right equipment. Before I can really answer your question, I have a few of my own for you:

• What equipment did you use? (iPod, laptop, PA system, speakers…?)
• How big (square feet) is the venue?
• How many guests will you have in that amount of space?
• What, exactly, sounded like crap? The acoustics? Your choice of songs? The sound quality of your speakers?

Until I know more here’s what you need for kick-ass sound:

1. The appropriate speakers/PA system and set-up for your venue size. An iPod and your laptop speakers aren’t going to cut it in most situations.
2. The right music.
3. Quality music files. Are your files CD quality? What bit rate were they ripped at? Is your playlist all at the same volume output?
4. A properly working iPod and cables.

Hit me back with your replies and we’ll revisit this.

Have a burning DIY question? Lay it on us, baby.

And now I want you to experience the coolitude that is the iPod. I’m giving away a 4 GB silver iPod Nano as part of Multimedia Month. For those of you looking to have an iPod wedding, this baby’ll rock your world!

Of course you’ll have to work for this one, my friends. This particular contest requires some creativity and action on your part.

How to enter:
To enter leave a comment (text or video) to this post with a list of your Top 10 “Get Off Your Butt and Dance!” Songs.  In other words, what songs would make your guests boogie oogie oogie on the dance floor? Your comment submission will automatically enter you in the contest.

Your entry must include:

1. Your top 10 dance songs with exact song name and artist
2. Your wedding date

Incomplete entries will not be eligible the contest.

Deadline:
I will accept entries from July 18 through July 31. On August 01, I will pick my Top 10 favorite entries and will then let you, my dear readers, vote for the winner. The final winner will be chosen on August 15th.

See contest details after the jump.

Please read BEFORE you enter the contest.

Rules and Regulations
1. No purchase necessary to enter the DIYBride iPod Contest. The opportunity to play may be effected by local ability to access the Internet at any particular time.

2. The Contest is open to engaged couples (brides and grooms), 18 years or older who are legally allowed to participate in such a contest as allowed by their local laws. This contest is open to US RESIDENTS ONLY.

3. Players must submit the required email for the contest which will register the player automatically, for a chance to win. Entry will be informed if they are a winner on 16 August, 2008. Limit one attempt per couple. DIYBride and its subsidiaries are not responsible for: incomplete, lost, late, damaged, scrambled or misdirected entries or other errors of any kind whether human, mechanical or electronic, which may limit a user’s ability to participate in the contest. DIYBride reserves the right to cancel or modify the contest if fraud destroys the integrity of the game as determined by DIYBride in its sole discretion. All entries become the property of DIYBride, and will not be returned or acknowledged.

4. Employees and families of DIYBride and its affiliates and subsidiaries are not eligible. Void where prohibited by law. All Federal, state and local laws and regulations apply.

5. Prize will be assigned to those who have been identified as winners.

6. Players will be informed at the close of the contest if they are a winner via email, and if a player is identified as a winner, what prize has been won. Winners will receive their prizes via UPS after the contest has been completed and winners have been verified. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the winner. DIYBride and its agencies assume no responsibility or liability for any damages, losses, or injury resulting from the acceptance or use of any prize. Please note that the winner will need to sign for the UPS delivery as proof of receipt. If you can’t sign for delivery, please do not enter the contest. No other shipping/delivery arrangements will be made.

7. Acceptance of prize offered constitutes permission to use winner’s name and/or likeness for purposes of advertising and trade, worldwide in perpetuity, without future compensation, unless prohibited by law. Prize winners will be required to verify address prior to awarding of the prize. Entering the contest is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

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